To Northern Ireland, where Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been speaking to reporters about emergency prison measures, the violent riots that swept Britain’s streets and the response of the police. But during his interrogation by journalists, the PM didn’t seem to be in the mood to entertain recent rumours that his chief of staff, Sue Gray, is becoming a disruptive presence in Downing Street. Touchy subject, Keir?
In a rather curious Times piece, Gray was accused of ‘subverting’ Sir Keir’s cabinet by ‘personally dominating’ negotiations about the proposed venue for the 2028 Euros tournament. The ex-Irish pub owner is facing allegations that she is trying to secure millions of pounds in public funds to rebuild the Gaelic football ground, while one Stormont source claimed last month that Gray is ‘very close’ to Sinn Féin’s finance minister Conor Murphy. The Irish republican party is calling for a ‘commitment’ from Starmer’s lefty lot that the UK government will help rescue the politically sensitive project, as fears that the rebuild won’t be finished by 2028 persist. And, in the background of all of that, there are growing concerns that Sir Keir’s top staffer is clashing with senior Starmerites Pat McFadden and Morgan McSweeney. How very interesting…
But though his chief of staff has made headlines in recent weeks, Starmer wasn’t interested in addressing them today. One reporter quizzed the PM, asking: ‘On Sue Gray, her position on Casement has apparently been causing divisions. Can you offer some clarity on that?’ The journalist had barely finished his question before a visibly unimpressed Starmer snapped back: ‘Yeah, that’s complete nonsense.’ Oo er. And that wasn’t the only reporter taken aback by the PM’s reluctance to chat. Another journalist took to social media to lament the ‘tightly controlled media facility’ – slamming Sir Keir for not taking, er, any questions from journalists from the South. It’s hardly the best way of getting the press on side…
Watch the clip here:
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